Until You

by Cristin Cooper

  “I’m glad you came, and now we don’t have to be awkward with each other.” Though he didn’t think that would stop them.

  “Of course not. I mean we just kissed.”

  “Right.”

  They looked into each other’s eyes and moved closer. He wasn’t sure if she did or if it was him.

  “It wasn’t a big deal,” she said with her eyes on his lips.

  “Nope. Not a big deal,” he mumbled as he put a hand around her waist.

  “Everyone does it.” Her voice cracked as she allowed him to draw her closer.

  “Friends,” he said as his arm tightened around her until they were chest to chest.

  “People who barely like each other,” she said barely above a whisper.

  “People who are beginning to like each other,” he said bracing a hand around her neck, pulling her closer until their lips met.

  As their kiss intensified and she moaned into his mouth, he would definitely say he was beginning to like her. A lot.

  Chapter Eleven

  December 2015

  Alexis

  That was not just a kiss she thought as she felt her legs turn to Jell-O and struggled to catch her breath.

  She wondered how they could be so awkward with each other except when their mouths were fused together. Even though she had only kissed a handful of guys, she knew it wasn’t normal to have two toe-curling kisses in a row.

  Dragging in a deep breath, he leaned his forehead against hers and said, “Good night, Alexis.”

  Swallowing hard she said, “Good night, Jason. Happy Birthday.”

  After helping her into her coat, he opened the door but lingered in front of it blocking her way. Linking their fingers, he pulled her closer and kissed her one more time. Not as heated as before, but she wasn’t about to complain. With him, she felt desired and not just because he saw her in a photo.

  “I’ll see you later?” She didn’t think he meant it as a question, but it came out that way.

  “If I don’t see you before, I hope you and Benji have a Merry Christmas.”

  “You too, Alexis.”

  She looked down at their linked fingers and smiled. “I’m going to need my hand back.”

  His cheeks tinged red, and he chuckled squeezing her hand before letting go.

  When she pulled into her parking spot in front of her condo fifteen minutes later, she was still smiling. Even with the lingering high of an amazing kiss, Alexis wondered what it meant. Were they kissing friends now? More than friends?

  Looking at the clock, she realized she only had a few minutes to log into the game. She told Belakor she would run dungeons with him tonight. The moment she got logged in, he messaged her.

  Belakor: Hey, you’re late. Get on vent so I don’t have to type.

  Nysterie: Did you get a new mic?

  He didn’t respond and she groaned. One of these days she would refuse to talk to him until he replaced his headset. She couldn’t handle another headache from his buzzing mic.

  Nysterie: Fine Mr. Bossy Pants.

  “Everything okay? You’re usually not late.”

  She grumbled at the crackling sound coming from his mic, it was killing her happy mood.

  “Belakor, I can’t listen to your staticky headset all night. Man up and type. She logged out of vent and typed out her reply to him.

  Nysterie: Yeah. I had a couple of Christmas presents to drop off.

  Also had dinner with a gorgeous man she had been crushing on and his adorable son, but she didn’t tell him that.

  Nysterie: And traffic was bad coming home with people going to the Willamette River boat parade.

  Once she pressed enter, she realized she gave him a big hint to where she lived.

  It took him over a minute before he said anything.

  Belakor: Do you live in Portland?

  She hesitated answering, knowing it was too late to take it back, but unsure how she felt about him knowing where she lived.

  Nysterie: I do.

  A few minutes later he responded.

  Belakor: So do I.

  Nysterie: Wow. Small world.

  Belakor: Yeah.

  She wasn’t sure how to take his one-word reply. But then he began talking about his love of Portland. After a few minutes they were back to talking like they did before. Neither were surprised by how much they liked the same restaurants and bars. They shared a love of Voodoo Donut maple bars with bacon on top and debated on the best local microbreweries.

  By the time she needed to log off, she had decided to do something she never expected.

  Nysterie: I was wondering if you’d like to meet me at a New Year’s Eve party? It could be fun and give us a chance to meet in real life.

  She had already invited Tyler and Katie since she didn’t want to go to this party alone. She had considered asking Jason, but decided against it since she knew the people who were going to be there. They weren’t bad or anything. They were just the kind of people who spent a lot of time and money on looking good and that wasn’t her. She didn’t want to give Jason the impression that those things were important to her.

  If it weren’t for her agent asking her to attend, she would be hanging out with her regular friends playing console games all night.

  When he didn’t answer right away, she spoke again.

  Nysterie: I understand if you don’t want to.

  Belakor: I want to. I’d love to meet you, Nyst.

  She hadn’t realized she was holding her breath until agreed.

  Nysterie: Cool. I’m excited to finally meet you.

  She was more nervous than excited.

  Belakor: Me too.

  Chapter Twelve

  December 31, 2015

  Jason

  Jason couldn’t believe he said yes to Nysterie. At the time, he was still on an Alexis high and thought it would be cool to finally meet his friend. Since he knew Alexis had plans with Tyler and Katie, the timing seemed perfect.

  If Jason had a choice, he would be out with Alexis tonight. It had been two weeks since he saw her last. She had come into the shop during the busiest time of the day, so he didn’t have a chance to say more than hello.

  He hoped she would’ve invited him to the party Katie mentioned, but when she didn’t, he tried not to take it personally. Maybe he thought their kisses meant more than she did. She most likely kissed a lot of guys, he assumed.

  Jason checked his phone again, partly hoping Benji’s babysitter would call or message him asking him to pick up his son. Now that he was less than a half hour away from meeting his online friend, his stomach twisted with nerves.

  Nysterie said she would meet him just inside the entrance and gave him a description of her dress and the clip she wore in her hair. He still had no idea what she looked like.

  Driving through the industrial part of town, he had changed his mind—twice. He was afraid if they met it would change their friendship or his opinion of her.

  Having to park several blocks away, it took him a few minutes to get to the entrance and when he did, he stopped in his tracks. He watched as Sandy-types walked in and out of the party.

  He couldn’t go in there. If Nysterie turned out to be like Sandy, he would be crushed. He knew he shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, Alexis was proof of that, but he couldn’t make himself go inside. Instead, he turned around and left without trying to find Nysterie first. In his head he knew he was being ridiculous, but Sandy left a sour taste in his mouth.

  He drove around for hours, tempted to text Katie to see where she and Alexis were but decided against it. If Alexis wanted him to go with her, she would’ve invited him. For all he knew, she had a date.

  Too wired to go home, he drove to The Coffee Pot to do paperwork, half tempted to pick up Benji. If his son hadn’t gotten so excited over having a sleepover, he would’ve.

  Instead of working, he found himself staring at the photo of Alexis wishing tonight had turned out differently.

  Chapter Thi
rteen

  January 1, 2016

  Alexis

  “He didn’t come,” Alexis slurred as she wobbled on her high heels, coming close to spilling her drink.

  “I know. You said.” Kami patted her back trying to console her, but it didn’t work. They had only met a few hours ago when Katie introduced them, but she already saw Kami as a friend. Or maybe that was the alcohol talking.

  She had heard about the infamous Kami with the bright hair, but hearing about her and meeting her were two different things. Kami was so much more than Alexis expected and she could curse Katie for not introducing them sooner.

  After waiting around for Belakor to show up for nearly forty-five minutes, she gave up. Luckily, she had Kami’s sense of humor, hot guys, and alcohol to help her get over it. Not only was she not spending the evening with Jason, who Alexis regretted not inviting, but now she’d been stood up by a guy she thought was her friend.

  “Maybe he saw me and decided to leave.”

  Kami lifted a brow and rolled her eyes. “If he did then you lucked out because he’s stupid. What guy would say no to you?” Plenty, but she didn’t want to go into it. She had guys hit on her and ask her out, but not for the reasons she wanted. The guys she wanted to ask her out never did. The universe could suck it!

  “Let’s get you two home,” Tyler said as he stood between Alexis and Kami and helped them to his car. Kami had come with someone, but apparently he found a new date he liked more at the party. Because boys are stupid.

  “Not all boys are stupid,” Katie argued. Alexis looked at Katie then realized she must have been talking out loud. “I mean, look at Tyler. He isn’t a stupid boy.”

  Alexis felt the vibration of Tyler’s chuckle. “Thanks, Katie. I appreciate it.”

  “Oh, Katie.” Alexis shook her head making herself dizzy. “Tyler isn’t a guy. He’s Tyler,” she stated then the four of them burst out laughing.

  “Tyler, she means that in the best way possible,” Katie clarified.

  For once, Alexis didn’t wake up with a hangover sleeping next to Stan. Instead, she woke up with Kami pressed against her snoring so loud she felt the vibration on her back.

  It said a lot about Kami and how much Alexis liked her that she found it more funny than annoying.

  Dragging herself into the shower, she spent a good twenty minutes trying to wake up and hoping Katie made breakfast.

  When she got to the kitchen, she found a note from Tyler stating that he and Katie went grocery shopping. Because they are awesome, they left pancakes and eggs warming in the oven. “God bless them. They’ll make great parents one day.” One of them sooner than later.

  After breakfast, she went to her office and sat in front of her computer debating whether or not she wanted to log into the game. Last night she was hurt Belakor stood her up; today she was pissed. He said he would come.

  She entered the game just as Kami stepped into her office with pink bedhead and last night’s smoky eyes. It didn’t look so good the next morning smeared down her cheeks. “Hey,” Kami said, her voice sounding like sandpaper. “Is there any juice?”

  “In the fridge. Help yourself.”

  Kami stood in the doorway squinting at Alexis’s computer. “What are you playing?”

  “World of Warcraft.”

  “Your character looks disgusting.”

  “She’s undead,” Alexis stated.

  “Looks it,” Kami muttered.

  “Her name is Nysterie,” Alexis informed her.

  “So you’re like a nerd,” Kami stated.

  Biting her lip to keep from laughing out loud, Alexis nodded her head.

  “Cool. You’re like my brother’s wet dream.”

  Scrunching up their noses at the same time, Kami shivered. “Ewww. I just grossed myself out with that thought. Pretend I didn’t say that.”

  “Not a problem.”

  “Well, I’m going to get a drink, but will you be willing to drive me home?”

  “Sure. Just say when.”

  Alexis waited for Kami to shuffle away before she checked to see if Belakor was online. He wasn’t, but he left an in-game mail for her.

  Belakor: Sorry. Couldn’t make it. Maybe another time.

  That was it?

  Not for the first time, she regretted not inviting Jason to the party.

  Chapter Fourteen

  January 2016

  Jason

  “You should try smiling. You know that thing you do when you lift the corners of your mouth? See!” Kami pointed to Jason’s mouth. “You’re doing it right now. Look in the mirror. You should do that more often,” Kami teased. He hated to admit it, but Kami brought a kind of comical relief to his day that he didn’t expect.

  “Ha ha,” he said with no inflection in his voice. He smiled, but not because of her. According to Katie, Alexis would be here soon, and he couldn’t wait to see her again.

  Yesterday, after almost a month of not seeing her, she came in to get a coffee before one of her classes. They were back to stilted conversations and accidently talking over each other, but they both seemed to find humor in their awkwardness.

  Just as he was about to ask Alexis over for dinner, Katie had walked in, and he panicked. “I don’t want anyone to know about us,” he had said and Alexis’s smile fell.

  Staring down at her hands, she mumbled, “Right. Well, I’ll see you around.”

  The hurt on her face crushed him. He watched her go, wishing he could explain himself. It wasn’t that he wanted them to be a secret; he just didn’t want to ruin whatever was happening with them. Which meant he didn’t want the pressure of everyone knowing while they tried to figure this out.

  He hadn’t had a girlfriend since high school, and his life was completely different now. Figuring out how a girl fit into his life wasn’t as easy as it was back then.

  The bell over the door jingled, and his heart leapt when he saw Alexis and Tracy walk in. “You ready to get another glimpse of our baby?” Tracy asked Katie with a beaming smile.

  Jason’s eyes went straight to Alexis, who stood just inside the entrance of the store. His heart sunk seeing how she wouldn’t even look at him. He messed up big time.

  “Hi, Jason, it’s good to see you,” Tracy said in a cheerful tone.

  He forced a smile. “Hello, Mrs. McHenry. It’s always good to see you.” He spoke, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Alexis who still hadn’t looked at him.

  She was so close. Ten steps and he could’ve been standing in front of her. Touching her soft skin, looking into her beautiful blue eyes or kissing her heart-shaped lips. Jason hated that they weren’t alone so he could explain himself. He’d fix this. Not sure how, but he’d figure out a way.

  “I’m ready,” Katie announced.

  After watching Alexis leave without either of them saying a word to one another, he went to his office to do paperwork. He hoped it would help him take his mind off of her. It didn’t work. Instead, he ended up pacing the small room until he couldn’t stand it any longer.

  He walked out of his office and watched Erin and Kami work. Seeing how they seemed to be doing fine without him, he decided to take the rest of the day off.

  “I need to pick up Benji.” Not for any other reason than he wanted to spend time with his son. “You two okay closing tonight?”

  “Yeah, sure,” Erin answered for them.

  “I still haven’t made copies of my keys, so will one of you drop them off after work?”

  “No problem, just leave your address,” Kami said looking at him with concern. Did he look sick? He felt sick.

  Hours later, he still felt restless. Though spending the afternoon with Benji had been fun, he hadn’t been much help with taking Jason’s mind off Alexis. It didn’t help that Benji kept asking when Alexis could come over again.

  With Benji asleep, he logged into the game hoping it would help distract him, but being online had its own issues.

  Nysterie.

  Things changed be
tween them after New Year’s Eve. His fault. As usual. He didn’t give her a reason for not showing up at the party, and he didn’t want to. He wanted them to go back to being anonymous friends who had fun together. But he had a feeling there was no turning back. He still thought about meeting her since he could use some real life friends, but after seeing the party she invited him to, he wasn’t so sure they could be.

  When someone knocked on his door, he left his computer to answer it. “Hey, here’s your keys.” Kami handed them over as she walked in uninvited. Looking around his small living room and dining area, she said, “I like your place.”

  Once she reached his computer her jaw dropped, and she pointed to the screen. “Hey, Alexis plays that game.” Did she? He never thought to ask her.

  Kami took a step closer to his monitor then looked over her shoulder. “Your name is Belakor?” She squinted her eyes then looked back to the screen. “Why does that name sound familiar?” Then she stood up with her eyes wide. She pointed at him. “Oh my God! It’s you!”

  “What’s me?” he growled.

  “You live in Portland, you play World of Warcraft, and your name is Belakor. You’re the guy who stood up Alexis,” she said in an accusing tone.

  “Wait.” His heart raced as he listened to her repeat herself. “Alexis was supposed to meet a guy named Belakor at a party?”

  “Yeah. On New Year’s Eve.”

  “How do you know about any of this?” He hadn’t known that Kami and Alexis had even met.

  “I ran into Katie and Tyler at this party, and they introduce me to Alexis, who had been stood up by Belakor.” She pointed to him with squinty eyes. “You!” She took a breath then went on. “She was really upset about it. Anyway, we got drunk, and I ended up sleeping over at her place. When I got up, I saw her playing this game and her character’s name was Nyst…something or other.”